Biomaterial Immobilization in Nanoporous Carbon Molecular Sieves: Influence of Solution pH, Pore Volume, and Pore Diameter

The adsorption of lysozyme (Lz) onto nanoporous carbon molecular sieves with various pore diameters has been studied at different solution pH values. All the adsorption isotherms have successfully been correlated by the Langmuir equation. The amount of adsorbed Lz depends on the solution pH as well as on the specific pore volume and pore diameter of the adsorbents. The maximum adsorption was observed near the isoelectric point of the Lz (pI approximately 11), suggesting that suppression of electric repulsion between the enzymes plays an important role in the adsorption process. Moreover, the amount adsorbed depends on the pore size and pore volume of the nanoporous carbon adsorbents, indicating that the Lz molecules are adsorbed inside the mesopores. CMK-3-150 shows a larger amount of Lz adsorption as compared to CMK-3. The increased Lz adsorption capacity of CMK-3-150 may be due to the larger pore volume and pore diameter as compared to that of CMK-3. The unaltered structural order of the nanoporous adsorbents after the adsorption has been confirmed by the physicochemical characterization techniques such as XRD and N(2) adsorption. In addition, FT-IR spectroscopic studies confirm that the Lz used in this study is stable even after the adsorption on the nanoporous carbon. These results indicate that nanoporous carbon has superior water stability and thus is a more appropriate adsorbent for biomaterials than nanoporous silica.